In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to sign another amateur goalie after the NHL rejected their request for an emergency call-up. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators have confirmed they will qualify the contract of Alex DeBrincat even if there’s no guarantee of a long-term deal.
The Nashville Predators are about to be purchased for a record number and the Edmonton Oilers lost out on a college prospect for a bittersweet reason.
Maple Leafs Denied Emergency Call-Up
The Maple Leafs signed goaltender Nick Chenard to an amateur tryout agreement on Monday and he served as the club’s backup goaltender versus the Florida Panthers. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said the team was told they couldn’t call up a goalie to back up Ilya Samsonov, which is why they went this route for the second game in a row.
Chris Johnston of TSN reported, “My understanding is that it was deemed the Leafs created the “emergency” conditions that would necessitate the use of the Roster Emergency Exemption, which is why they weren’t permitted to bring in an AHL backup for tonight’s game in Florida.” In other words, because Toronto was pressed up against the salary cap, by using an ATO goalie, the Leafs added a short-term contract that didn’t count against them.
Johnston adds:
“It’s not yet clear if they’ll make roster moves in order to create the cap space needed to recall Joseph Woll before the end of the regular season or just roll with Nick Chenard/Jett Alexander/UnknownATO behind Ilya Samsonov until the playoffs.”
Senators Will Qualify Alex DeBrincat
As per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun, “Pierre Dorion confirms the club will “qualify Alex” DeBrincat “even if we don’t have a long-term deal.” The 25-year-old is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and the Senators will have to give him a qualifying offer of $9 million.
DeBrincat had a bit of a down season compared to last year. He registered 27 goals and 66 points in 80 games in his first season with the Senators. If the Senators can get him locked up to a longer-term deal, that’s ideal, but the club wants to at least keep him in the fold for another season.
Predators Changing Ownership
As per an article in Front Office Sports, the Nashville Predators are a month away from initiating an ownership change. The article notes that former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam is expected to complete his purchase of the NHL team in mid-May. He is buying a 60% share in the team.
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The report adds, “The league’s board of governors still has to approve the deal, but the impending purchase values the Predators at $880 million — five times the team’s revenue, per Forbes.”
Oilers Lose Out on Brind’Amour
According to Frank Servalli of Daily Faceoff, “Hearing @QU_MIH national champion Skyler Brind’Amour will not be signing with the Oilers.” He was drafted by the Oilers in 2017, but Brind’Amour will become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15. The reason the Oilers are losing out on the player – or so they were told — is that he believes he’ll have a harder time cracking their lineup over the next couple of seasons than in another location.
The Oilers are a deep and talented team and GM Ken Holland wasn’t about to guarantee the prospect a spot in the lineup. Knowing that he would have to beat out a number of other players for a job, he’ll try his luck with a team that needs the immediate boost and will place him in their lineup.
